Baby #2

There are a lot of things I could say about being pregnant again, but since it is world breastfeeding week, I guess I'll talk about that.

I want to tandem nurse.

That's right, I want to have a toddler attached to one boob and an infant attached to the other. And it may happen, since Virginia is still nursing, although it is possible she will wean herself during the pregnancy. (And if she does I won't stop her.)

There are a few reasons I want to tandem nurse:

1) I believe it will help Virginia bond with the new baby. Nursing will be something they can do together. Something she can share with her new sibling.

2) I believe it will help Virginia to still feel warm and fuzzy towards me. I'm sure she will have struggles w/ the amount of attention the new baby will need, but she can take comfort in knowing there is always a boobie* for her.

3) Assuming Virginia still wants to nurse at 27 months and beyond, tandem nursing will let me do that. I won't have to cut her off prematurely.

Now, there will be some struggles. Already my nipples feel like they will fall off if I brush against them too hard (due to pregnancy hormones) so nursing is no picnic. I'm not sure how I'll hold Virginia as my belly gets bigger, but my midwives assure me toddlers are innovative when it comes to figuring out how to nurse. I'm also not sure how I'll juggle a big one and a little one at the same time, but many pictures I've seen on the internet lead me to believe it is possible.

In the mean time, Virginia and I are working through the pain and enjoying each other's company. And I am enjoying being able to give her what she needs when she is sleepy or hurting or just misses me.

* Virginia actually calls them "boobies." This was an unfortunate mistake on my part. When she was itty bitty and she would finish on one breast I would ask if she "wanted the other boobie." (You talk to yourself a lot when you have a newborn.) It never occurred to me to stop doing this and then one day Virginia was saying "boobies." And this is how she asks to nurse. Slightly embarrassing in public...